October 20, 2020

Duckworth, Bustos, Durbin Call for Immediate Testing of All Staff and Inmates After FCI Pekin COVID-19 Outbreak

 

[PEORIA, IL] -- U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17) are calling for all staff and inmates to immediately be tested for COVID-19 at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Pekin after an outbreak of more than 75 cases was confirmed at the prison.

A significant number of staff and inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 in recentdays, including three staff members and 74 inmates as of October 18th. In a letter to BOP Director Michael Carvajal and Warden Frederick Entzel, the lawmakers urged FCI Pekin to test all staff and inmates in order to find asymptomatic cases and prevent further spread of the virus.

“While we appreciate the work of FCI Pekin to test those known to have been exposed to COVID-19, more testing is urgently needed to find asymptomatic cases, prevent the spread of the virus in this densely populated facility and protect the local community,” the lawmakers wrote.

The letter notes that testing is necessary to help protect those living and working at the facility, as well as the community at large. Dense living and working conditions within correctional facilities can lead to rapid and widespread transmission of COVID-19. Congresswoman Bustos and Senators Durbin and Duckworth have previously raised concerns about testing and understaffing at USP Thomson.

Text of the letter is below and can be found here.

October 19, 2020

Michael Carvajal

Director

Bureau of Prisons

320 1st St NW

Washington, DC 20534

Frederick Entzel

Warden

Federal Correctional Institution Pekin

2600 S. Second Street

Pekin, IL 61554

Dear Director Carvajal and Warden Entzel:

We write to urgently request that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) immediately provide on-site COVID-19 testing for all staff and inmates at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Pekin. 

Currently, at least three staff and 74 inmates reportedly have tested positive for COVID-19 in four units at FCI Pekin. In addition, more staff and inmates are in quarantine while awaiting test results. While we appreciate the work of FCI Pekin to test those known to have been exposed to COVID-19, more testing is urgently needed to find asymptomatic cases, prevent the spread of the virus in this densely populated facility and protect the local community.

As you know, individuals with COVID-19 can spread the virus without presenting symptoms. Further, asymptomatic spread is of heightened concern in correctional facilities, given their dense living and working conditions. This point is supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, which states, “[c]ongregate living or working conditions, such as in correctional and detention facilities, have potential for rapid and widespread transmission of SARS-CoV-2.” As such, more testing must be undertaken immediately to identify asymptomatic COVID-19 cases at FCI Pekin.

Further, CDC guidance supports a more aggressive testing strategy for facilities facing significant outbreaks. It notes, “…if there is concern for widespread transmission following identification of new-onset SARS-CoV-2 infection among [inmates] or staff, facility management should consider a broader testing strategy, beyond testing only close contacts within the facility, to reduce the chances of a large outbreak.”

In addition to CDC guidance supporting a more robust mitigation strategy, so too do our constituents, whose family members and community are at risk. For instance, on October 12, 2020, a concerned parent of an FCI Pekin employee wrote our offices. The communication notes, “[m]y daughter is employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Pekin. She is afraid to go to work due to the lack of mitigation inside this prison… I am scared for my daughter but also fearful of an outbreak with employees getting infected and infecting others in the community.”